The Willcox Ranching Heritage Festival is Coming to Town

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Have you ever wanted to experience or learn about the cowboy way of life? Such as riding horseback through the open range, blacksmithing, or driving and wrangling cattle while working in harmony with the land? At the Ranching Heritage Festival in Willcox this June you’ll get to witness first-hand how this ranching lifestyle has been preserved for the past 150 years.

The Willcox Theater and Arts along with the Willcox Cowboy Hall of Fame proudly present the Ranching Heritage Festival in Willcox which will highlight, demonstrate, and preserve the cowboy heritage and history in Cochise County.

Beginning in 1872, the first ranch in Arizona was founded at the Sierra Bonita Ranch. The year 2022 marks 150 years of ranching in this prime cattle country. Traditions and hard work have come to define this shared ranch culture for generations. Celebrate the past, present, and future of ranching for three days this summer.

There will be skilled craftsmen demonstrations including saddle making, blacksmithing, horseshoeing, and Dutch oven cooking. To honor the past, there will be Cowboy Hall of Fame stories told by the Cowboy Hall of Famers themselves and ranch history videos. And to see how the west was won and the grit it takes to be a cowboy there will be horsemanship and showmanship clinics and a virtual reality experience. A trade show of nationwide vendors, an art show, craft and food vendors, live music performances, and a street dance will round out this event full of entertainment for the whole family. The event itself is free with food and beverages available for purchase.

By sharing the culture and traditions that have been passed down through the years, this event will inspire future generations to saddle up and ride. So, gather the herd and ramble on down to the Willcox Ranching Heritage Festival June 3rd-5th, 2022.

Find more detailed information about the event here.

Contact: Gayle Berry, Executive Director
Willcox Theater and Arts
134 N Railroad Ave, Willcox, AZ 85643
willcoxtheater@gmail.com
(520) 766-3335

Patrick OD O'Donnell

The moment a bull's gate swings open—that's when Patrick "OD" O'Donnell feels most alive. From his early days riding bareback through Arizona pastures to revolutionizing the bull riding industry as President of Bull Riders Only, OD has lived the Western lifestyle he now champions as Founder of Cowboy Lifestyle Network. Growing up in Casa Grande's sunbaked agricultural heartland, he didn't just learn about horses and ranching, he lived it daily, developing the instincts and grit that would later attract 4 million followers to CLN's authentic voice. After his baseball days at the University of Arizona, OD saw something others missed: bull riding wasn't just a sport, but was compelling entertainment waiting for the right vision. Between 1990-1997, his leadership transformed local rodeo competitions into sold-out arena events that changed Western sports forever. Today, that same pioneering spirit drives CLN's coverage of everything from championship rodeos to the quiet heroism of ranch life. When he's not building the digital home for cowboy culture, you'll find OD supporting Harris Brothers Charity Foundation, leading CLN’s 25-year Christmas Toy Drive for Arizona kids, or sharing his love of horsemanship with special needs riders through Arizona's own Horses Help. Living proof that authentic Western values still have the power to transform lives.